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2018 Chevrolet Volt Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 225 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Volt, most often about the electrical (39% of complaints, typically around 33,500 miles). It is 4th of 9 Volt model years by number of complaints and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2018 Chevrolet Volt problems
Electrical
87 complaints · 39%Half of these problems showed up before 33,500 miles. Parts named most often: propulsion system, 12v/24v/48v battery.
Vehicle gives a "shift to park" message when it is already in park and I am attempting to turn it off. I have to shift the car back into drive or reverse and then shift it back to park many times before it allows me to turn off the vehicle. I took it to be repaired to my local dealership and they replaced the "shifter…
Park to shift issue. When car is placed in park it is not recognized and says that action is required. Giggling the shifter or pressing the button on the shifter usually takes care of the problem. The car will not turn off unless it recognizes it is in park.
Transmission
85 complaints · 38%Half of these problems showed up before 23,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
When I try to turn the car off, it says I must shift to park, even though the car is already in park. As a result, I can't turn the car off and I can't leave it because there is no way to lock the doors when in this state.
When attempting to turn off car after driving and after shifting the car into park, a message appears on the screen to shift the car to park. Even though the car is already in park the message remains, and the car won't turn off, or will only turn off after repeated attempts at shifting the car out of and back into…
Fuel system
74 complaints · 33%Parts named most often: storage.
While driving the vehicle at around 60 MPH, the 'check engine' light came on and a message saying 'shift to park' appears on the dashboard. Once the vehicle was stopped at the traffic light, the driver shifted to park and was not able to pull down to drive again. Vehicle was stranded in the middle of the road while…
Ntsb should require a recall of certain Chevrolet volts. As an owner I received a letter from Chevrolet stating that my Volt 'may have a condition where it could gradually lose the ability to maintain voltage. If battery concerns are not addressed, over time the vehicle could enter a reduced propulsion mode while…
Engine
51 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 51,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 60 MPH, the message âpower reducedâ was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the EGR valve. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not…
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted each time, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to…
Other or unspecified
41 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 26,000 miles.
Over the last month (starting around july 6 but continuing today), when I shift my car to park and attempt to turn it off, my Volt displays the message "shift to park" and will not fully turn off. This results in me not being able to lock my car and the lights stay on. The message appears randomly about 50-75% of my…
Vehicle will not shut down properly. When trying to turn off push button ignition the vehicle says " action required: shift to park". The vehicle is already stopped and in park however it is not registering somehow.
Brakes
9 complaints · 4%Collision occurred on e denny way in seattle, approx 3:20 pm on a downhill slope in stop-and-go traffic after about 20 minutes of constant brake use to hold back the car. About 2/3 of the way downhill the brakes failed, no resistance whatsoever and the car rolled into the vehicle in front, a distance of about 15 feet.…
I ran into a vehicle in front of me during normal traffic on my way home from work, two months to the day of picking up my 2018 Volt. The vehicle ahead of me may have stopped quickly, but it was not a stop the Volt shouldn't have been able to handle. I was on a street in my neighborhood I drive every day in traffic. I…
Speed control
8 complaints · 4%Steering
5 complaints · 2%Loss of power steering while driving. Error message on dash as well. Very difficult to turn and not possible to make a quick avoidance. Had to have car towed to the dealership. Dealership found dtc error code but could not duplicate the power steering loss. Dealership did not replace or fix anything as of now.
Power steering failed while driving into baltimore city on I-95. Was able to control the vehicle without power steering but it was difficult. The power returned at the end of the work day after the vehicle did not move all day. Took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealership said it found "scan code c056d found…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2018 Chevrolet Volt recalls
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk: If the child seat is not properly secured in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear seatbelt retractors and replace them if necessary, free of charge. The recall began november 7, 2018. Owners may contact cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 18315.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2018-2019 cadillac ct6, escalade esv, chevrolet suburban, volt, and gmc yukon xl vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automatically lock when the seatbelt is fully pulled out of the retractor, possibly preventing a child seat from being properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 208, "occupant crash protection."
Brakes: caliper
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began october 11, 2018. Owners may contact buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or gmc customer service at 1-800-462-8782. Gm's number for this recall is 18279.
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2018-2019 chevrolet equinox, impala, cruze, volt and bolt EV vehicles, gmc terrain vehicles, buick lacrosse and regal vehicles, cadillac xts and xts professional vehicles and 2018 chevrolet malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Loss of motive power due to the battery energy control module
Summary
On november 29, 2023, the office of defects investigations (odi) opened pe23022 to investigate allegations of a loss of motive power, including a stall, reduced power state, and/or a no start condition due to the battery energy control module (becm) in model year (my) 2016-2019 chevrolet volt passenger car vehicles manufactured by general motors (gm). The becm is located within the high voltage electric vehicle (EV) battery pack and monitors the temperature, current, and voltage of the high voltage battery cell groups. Gm stated that the root cause was identified as an internal failure leading to a loss of communication within the becm and does not pose a risk to motor vehicle safety. Gm fur
Pedestrian alert sounds
Summary
Nhtsa received a petition on or about july 18, 2022, requesting that federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the united states. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under odi number 11486072. Fmvss 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after march 1, 2021.on january 27, 2023, NHTSA opened defect petition (dp) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Questions about the 2018 Chevrolet Volt
- What are the most common problems with the 2018 Chevrolet Volt?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (87 complaints, typically around 33,500 miles); transmission (85 complaints, typically around 23,000 miles); fuel system (74 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2018 Chevrolet Volt have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 26, 2018 (seat belts). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2018 a bad year for the Chevrolet Volt?
- It is 4th of 9 Volt model years by number of complaints, with 225 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.